SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio ISD is issuing a letter of apology to parents Tuesday afternoon after students walked into cold classroom that morning. KENS 5 spoke to multiple parents about the issues earlier in the day.
Parent Myra Hernandez was at work when she got a call from her student, who told her the class had to be moved to the cafeteria because it was a chilly 48 degrees in the classroom. He even sent her a picture of the thermostat.
Hernandez said she called the school multiple times for answers and said the front office eventually told the heater was not working properly and the school called someone to fix it. Hernandez picked up her kids right away.
"They need to notify the parents so they can be aware. Tell them so they can make a decision whether to take their children home," Hernandez said.
But as the day went on, other parents and guardians said there were no notifications for that campus.
Maria Mata only found out about the heating issue because she was watching KENS 5 at noon. Mata's niece has special needs and is non-verbal, so she wouldn't have been able to call for help. Mata wanted to know why the school district failed to communicate the issue, especially to the parents of special-ed students.
"They could have told us they don't have heat and I could have taken her back home. The poor baby, she can't say anything," Mata said. "Other kids, they have their phones and they can text their parents and let them know. For special needs, they need to do better than this."
When KENS 5 initially reached out to SAISD on Tuesday, a spokeswoman only said the district was aware of the issues at Highlands High School and that a repair crew was on site. The district did not say why parents were not notified before air-time.
Then, just after 4 p.m., SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino emailed a letter to SAISD parents. The letter ended with a promise that parents will be informed of campus issues:
Dear SAISD Familia:
I owe you an apology. I lead with a spirit of transparency, and I want to give you an update on what happened today.
Today’s return to the classroom during this cold weather was not as successful as we had planned. Our preparations fell short today, and I am deeply sorry. As a district, we are here to meet the educational and social needs of our children, and we strive to do this in the safest way possible.
However, today was a cold start in our schools. Throughout yesterday and overnight, we diligently checked all campuses to ensure school facilities would be ready for students and staff on Tuesday. For one school – Burbank High School – we were able to determine an issue last night that would prevent opening today, and we quickly communicated this to the Burbank community yesterday evening.
Unfortunately, more issues across the district confronted us this morning. We experienced some system failures, boilers that were slow to heat the buildings, and water issues related to burst pipes. Our Facilities staff were onsite where needed, working quickly to restore heat. School leaders assembled students in the warmest areas of their buildings and provided bottled water where necessary. Hot meals were ready for our students, and instruction continued. As always, I am impressed with the dedication of our staff to fully embrace all of our students’ needs.
But I am not satisfied with how our day started.
We typically call a bad weather day when freezing temperatures come with precipitation and there is a question about road safety. On Monday, following a meeting with other superintendents within Education Service Center-Region 20, the City of San Antonio Emergency Management Department and the National Weather Service, it was determined road conditions were in good shape, all roadways were open, and no additional precipitation was expected. Additionally, CPS did not anticipate power outages. These updates influenced the decision to keep schools open. We did, however, make the decision to cancel all outdoor activities.
We offer a safe haven for our children, and we have this top of mind when we determine bad weather days. We know many of our families depend on us to care for their children, so that they can go to work. For some families, if they can’t make it to work, they may not get paid. Additionally, we typically rely on our buildings being warm and comfortable environments. We were open for the children who needed us, and we will always honor and respect the decisions parents make for their children on these days.
I regret that our preparations did not meet expectations. We will work around the clock to address these issues, and we will be open on Wednesday. We will continue to monitor the situation, and should a campus experience an issue, you will be informed.
In service, Jaime